Who is the King?
HMC Nov. 24, 2024
Craig Atwood
John 18:33-37
Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
Introduction
This is one of those Sundays when the church’s calendar and the secular American calendar are not in perfect sync. As you know, on Thursday we will celebrate the national holiday of Thanksgiving. When I was teaching at the seminary, my wife and I often invited students who couldn’t go home to have dinner with our family. One year we invited a young woman from Germany, and she was so delighted to see that our table looked just like Thanksgiving in the movies – turkey and all. She took pictures to send her friends. It was nice to see that our traditions were considered exotic by someone from another culture!
I know that many people are finding it hard to be thankful this year. We’ve sung the funeral chorales quite often this year as beloved members of the congregation have gone on to the more immediate presence of Jesus. Sunnyside Ministries, Crisis Control, and other local support agencies are seeing record numbers of requests for assistance this year. This cornucopia overflowing with food is a reminder that we who are blessed with abundance, should be thankful that we can share with those who do not have enough to eat. Wars are still raging in several parts of the world, and many people live in fear that these conflicts will escalate further. Unprecedented natural disasters have struck our country leaving people homeless and vulnerable. And we have just experienced a turbulent political season that left some people feeling anxious while others are exultant.
It can be challenging to express gratitude when there is so much to worry about, but gratitude helps us see what is still good and right and beautiful in this world. We can be grateful that we have this loving community of faith and that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses to remind us that neither death nor life nor things present nor things to come can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. We can be grateful that our good shepherd has called us by name and will nourish our souls.
Christ the King Sunday
Today is a special day in our church calendar. This is the last Sunday of the Church Year. We are moving out of what is called Ordinary time, and we will have blue paraments on the pulpit next Sunday because it will be the first Sunday in Advent. It will also be the beginning of new church year. Soon we will light Advent candles, hang our stars, and begin decorating our sanctuary and homes to celebrate the birth of Christ.
About a century ago, Christian churches decided to use this last Sunday before Advent to focus on the Reign of Christ. Some churches call it Christ the King Sunday. The church year begins with waiting for Christ’s birth and ends with proclaiming that Christ is King. I always think of the Hallelujah chorus on this Sunday. “And He shall reign forever and ever — King of kings and Lord of lords. Hallelujah”. Don’t worry, I won’t break into song, but I bet you’re singing it in your mind right now. Handel was inspired by the magnificent images of God in heavenly glory from the passages that Ginny read earlier.
No more kings
However, there is a problem with our annual celebration of Christ the King. If you grew up on Schoolhouse Rock you may remember a song titled No More Kings about the American Revolution. We no longer have kings to rule over us. The United States was the first nation to get rid of monarchy and adopt a democratic form of government. We recently had the opportunity to vote for our political leaders rather than being forced to swearing allegiance and unquestioned loyalty to a king or emperor. We are citizens, not subjects, and we should be thankful this.
After the American Revolution, the quest for freedom spread. Most of the old monarchies and empires in the world were swept away by wars, rebellions, and independence movements. Even countries like Denmark that still have monarchs are really governed by representative parliaments. Our presidents are sworn into office with a simple ceremony rather than being crowned by a bishop, anointed with oil, and invested with robes and a scepter like King Charles III was. It has been so long since we’ve been ruled by kings, we don’t really know what it was like to be subjects of an absolute monarchs, but Jesus was born in a different age when the whim of the king had the force of law.
Messiah
The Christmas story we will soon read from Luke’s Gospel tells us that Jesus was born during the reign of Caesar Augustus when Quirinius was governor of Syria. It had been nearly six hundred years since a descendent of King David had governed Judea and Israel. Expert for a brief time during the Maccabean period, the people of Judea had been subjects of either the Babylonian, Greek, or Roman empires. During that time, many Jews prayed that God would send a descendent of King David to overthrow their oppressors and establish a reign of peace and justice. They called this king the Messiah, which means the Anointed One.
Many people in Judea had read the visions of the prophet Daniel, and they thought that God’s Messiah would appear in dazzling robes surrounded by thousands of worshipers. He would unleash his wrath, slaying the enemies of Israel and compel all people to obey his laws, just like King Solomon once did. From time to time a charismatic leader would emerge in Judea claiming to be the Messiah. He would lead an insurrection against the Roman authorities, but each rebellion ended in disaster for the Jews. After one such rebellion, the temple was destroyed and the people scattered. False Messiahs often lead their worshipers into disaster.
Pilate
This brings us to our gospel reading for today. We usually read this passage from the Gospel of John during Holy Week since it takes place just before Jesus was crucified. Our lesson is part of longer story about Pontius Pilate questioning Jesus before he condemned him to death. Pilate was not a king, but he was the representative of the emperor. Pilate’s job was to keep the peace, enforce laws, and collect taxes for the empire. He was supposed to make sure that the will of the emperor was respected by the subjects he ruled. The thing Pilate feared most was insurrection. He had learned from experience it was wise not to offend the Jewish council because they could encourage people to resist Roman rule. Pilate knew that many Jews were praying that God would send a Messiah to overthrow Rome, and he had brutally quelled more than one rebellion in his tenure.
So, when Jesus was brought before him, Pilate asked the question that kept him up at night. Are you the king of the Jews? Are you another charismatic leader who is going to insult the emperor and incite the crowds at Passover to rebel against Rome? Are you going to make it hard for me to collect taxes and disrupt the economic system? Will there be protest marches in the streets that I will have to stop? Who are you, Jesus of Nazareth? Who is the King: the emperor in Rome or the Messiah?
Jesus was a mystery
In John’s telling of the story, Jesus was a mystery to Pilate. He didn’t look and act like an insurrectionist or a charismatic figure. Yes, Jesus had overturned the tables of the money changers in the Temple, but he did not follow that up with riots. His followers did not fight the guards who had seized him. They were not storming the gates and threatening to lynch the chief priests. Jesus was standing there alone before the governor.
Who is the king? Pilate demanded an answer. Are you the king of the Jews or is Caesar. But Jesus refused to play according to Pilate’s rules. Jesus turns the question around and asks the Roman governor of Judea why he is asking that question. Did others tell you that I am the king or is this your idea? Do you have any clue about what is happening or are you just a puppet doing the will of others? Pilate was confused and angry and perhaps even frightened. He knew how to intimate people and make them beg for mercy. He did not know how to deal with the quiet dignity of Jesus. He was not a Jew and did not understand Jewish laws and religion. He reminded Jesus that the council had already condemned him, but Pilated demanded that Jesus confess to him why he had been handed over by his own people. What crime he had done?
This would have been the moment for a self-proclaimed Messiah to assert his authority and threaten Pilate. This would be the time for a great speech like William Wallace gave in the movie Braveheart. Pilate hoped that Jesus would this. He hoped Jesus would proclaim that he was the Messiah and the rightful king of Judea. He hoped Jesus would demand a crown and scepter. Then Pilate would have a clear reason to execute Jesus, arrest his followers, and show the world what Roman power looked like.
Not of this world
But Jesus refused to play Pilate’s game. Nowhere in the four gospels does Jesus try to overthrow the government and make himself king. Many people had proclaimed him the Messiah, but he did not proclaim himself. Jesus often preached about the coming of the Kingdom of God, but he never called upon his followers to take up arms to bring in the Kingdom of God with violence. Jesus points this out to Pilate. He could have told his followers to riot and storm the governor’s palace and set him free. But he didn’t.
Jesus told Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world. Christ is indeed the King of Kings, just as the Hallelujah Chorus proclaims, but he is not a king like all the kings, queens, and emperors throughout human history. Jesus was nothing like the emperors in Rome whom Pilate served. Some of them loved to watch gladiators duel to the death. One of them crucified 5000 slaves for revolting. Jesus was nothing like the kings of Israel, like David who had his opponents arrested or murdered. Jesus’ kingdom is not like any other kingdom. He does not sit on a golden throne while millions of people are sick, hungry, and in prison.
On this Christ the King Sunday, we need to remember that King Jesus is the same Jesus who came to serve, not to be served. The same Jesus who washed the feet of disciples and healed blind beggars. The same Jesus who forgave a woman caught in adultery and refused to let others throw stones. The same Jesus who blessed the children and touched lepers. The reign of Christ is a reign of peace, justice, and mercy.
“My kingdom is not of this world,” Jesus said, but too many Christians throughout the ages forgot his words. Christian history is filled with false Messiahs who tried to seize political power and left chaos and destruction in their wake: Jim Jones, David Koresh, John of Leyden, and the list goes on. Western history filled with kings who claimed they ruled by divine right – autocrats who insisted that they were above the law because God had chosen them. Too often Christians were willing to follow blindly the dictates of dictators and ignore the mandates of Christ, our true king.
A different kind of king
Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world. This does not mean that the kingdom of God is only in heaven or that Christians should ignore this world in their devotion to Christ. Christianity is not an otherworldly religion that tells people to ignore injustice and suffering around them.
Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world because he does not rely on the tools that earthly kingdoms and governments use. He does not rule through violence and threat of violence. He does not destroy. Christ is King because he rules over our hearts and guides our actions. He rules his people through persuasion; through teaching; and most of all through his example of self-giving love. Our Moravian church’s doctrinal statement, the Ground of the Unity, tells that “we must remain concerned for this world. We may not withdraw from it through indifference, pride or fear. Together with the universal Christian Church, the Unitas Fratrum challenges humanity with the message of the love of God, striving to promote the peace of the world and seeking to attain what is best for all.” In other words, if Christ is our King, then we should show our devotion to him through our care for this world.
Conclusion
Jesus was not the King that Pilate feared or the people expected. He did not come in glory to slay the wicked. He came in the quiet of the manger and healed and taught people. He gave his life for us all. We bow before King Jesus in worship and prayer. We swear obedience to him, not because we fear his wrath but because we feel his love. We do not obey Jesus because we fear that soldiers and secret police will carry us to prison. We obey him because we love him. Jesus is not our king because he conquered us, but because conquered sin and set us free. Jesus is our Lord because he is also our Savior. We worship him because he loves us. In the midst of all the anxieties and worries we face, we can rejoice and be thankful that Jesus Christ is our only Lord, our true Messiah, our king.
